Bridge Year Costa Rica – Fall 2025

When I first read about Refugio de Aves Alexander Skutch “Los Cusingos” in the list of possible internships for the Bridge Year Costa Rica program, my first thought was “a bird sanctuary? There must be a lot of birds that they take care of!” It’s what most people think now when they hear I intern at a bird refuge—“are you working with birds every day, then?” “That’s so cool!”

The truth of the matter is, no, my day-to-day work isn’t all about birds all the time. Cusingos, as we call it, is more of a nature preserve that provides a sanctuary for birds to hang out, and some days, I don’t see birds at all: my work is more focused on looking down (planning trail signage, searching for reptiles and amphibians, examining trap cameras, and maintaining the house museum) than looking up. On rare occasions, though, the birds come out in full force—and I’m reminded that yes, I work at a bird sanctuary, and it’s awesome!

Today is one of those days. I’m treading carefully, trying not to make too much noise with each step on the gravel; meanwhile, the birdwatching app on my phone, Merlin, is recording all the birdsong around me. Desperately wishing that I brought my binoculars to work, I peer into the trees, snapping my head around at any signs of movements out of the ordinary while my coworker snaps photos of the Northern Barred Woodcreaper with the fancy digital camera. Another tells me that a Black Hawk-eagle is flying way up high—identified by the faintest sound. I marvel at my coworkers. A splash of red in the canopy? Summer Tanager. Those yellow birds with splashes of gray? Gray-headed Tanagers. Wait, is that a Bi-colored Antbird, with a white ring around its eye? Oh my gosh, there’s two! Ah, que lindo, we say as we snap photos, trying to take the perfect one.

We’re stepping cautiously, careful not to disturb the birds. But that’s not the only thing we’re careful not to disturb—if you look down, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of ants scurrying over the ground nearby. An hormiguero (ant colony) is swarming, and it’s in fact the reason why all these birds are up and about in the mid-morning! I’m not the biggest fan of ants myself, but they are fascinating creatures. Here, they’re swarming across rocks, up posts, through the office and reception area—and the birds are hovering nearby, waiting to snatch up an insect that gets stirred up in the commotion. The birds don’t eat the ants themselves, but rather other insects that get disrupted when the swarm passes by—making it an amazing time for birdwatchers to observe a massive number of species, including some that are rarely found away from ant swarms.

A couple visitors, returning from their hike, jump at seeing all the ants crawling around the place. I smile, because had I not known about the birdwatching opportunities that the swarms bring, I would be jumping in fear too. The swarm gradually moves from the forest towards the reception area, the horde moving towards some unseen destination. My coworkers and I pick our way across our outdoor office, leaving it free for the ants to pass through. They can have our projects and documents for now—we’re busy watching the birds overhead.

I’ll admit I wasn’t a bird person before I came to Costa Rica. Sure, they were cool, but I never went birdwatching like my uncle or knew about the difference between a tanager and a sparrow. So when I learned that I’d be working at Cusingos, the organization with “Bird Refuge” in its name, I was a little worried about developing a passion for something I knew many people are obsessed with. Luckily, I’ve gotten a lot of practice, and with repetition the facts come naturally—I can name quite a few birds off by sight, now, and a couple by sound. I saw a Great Kiskadee the other day and knew exactly what it was (something I definitely did not know before coming here)!

I suppose the moral of this story is that you’re always learning something, and it’s important to stay curious. It could be that the smallest things spark joy (like ants do to birdwatchers)! It could be to pick up new hobbies, even the unexpected ones, because of the excitement and knowledge they’ll bring you. There’s an infinite number of morals you can extrapolate—so I’ll just say for me, the moral is as follows: excitement is contagious, and learning can happen anytime and anywhere, actively or passively. Maybe the next situation will be completely different. But whatever happens, I’m excited to see what new thing I’ll learn!